I am interested in the molecular and genetic mechanisms of how cells become different from one another and thus pattern the embryo as development proceeds. My long-term goal is to elucidate the molecular events that lead to the patterning and differentiation of the neuroectoderm and give rise to the complexity of cell types found in the nervous system. As a post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Monte Westerfield's lab (Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon), I have been addressing these issues by identifying and analyzing several mutations in known zebrafish genes that are potentially involved in neuroectodermal patterning or are some of the first markers to indicate patterning.

Zebrafish have emerged as an excellent vertebrate system in which to identify and analyze mutations that disrupt developmental events. Cell-cell interactions and cellular behavior can be studied using embryological techniques and zebrafish embryos are easily amenable to manipulations such as cell transplantation or microinjections.

Zebrafish are ideally suited to study the development of the nervous system. Their morphology is relatively simple at early stages and can be traced with easily recognizable landmarks. At 16-18 hours after fertilization, key events occur that we can watch in living embryos; a small number of identifiable neurons pioneer the main axonal tracts of the CNS, neural crest cells begin to migrate, and the placodal anlagen of the earn, nose, and lateral line arise. Thus, disruptions of neuronal patterning or differentiation can be readily identified. Furthermore, a variety of genes have been isoldated in zebrafish on the basis of sequence similiarity to molecules that are thought to have regulatory roles in embryonic development in other species.